TT Red Steel among the favourites as CPL T-20 starts today
T&T Newsday Reports.
KINGSTON: Excitement is reaching fever pitch in the Caribbean on the eve of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The third installment of the Biggest Party in Sport promises to be the most explosive and competitive edition to date, with some of the biggest names in world cricket joining the Caribbean’s own world class players, as well as exciting up-and-coming local talent.
Team TT Red Steel is among the favourties, but the competition starts tonight at the Kensington Oval in Barbados with a repeat of last year’s final- defending champions, Barbados Tridents, hosting the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
The Tridents open the tournament with three more home games, squaring off against Jamaica Tallawahs (23rd June), Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel (25th June) and CPL new boys, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots (27th June).
The other team enjoying home advantage in Week One will be the St Lucia Zouks; the Beausejour Stadium will be rocking as they host the Red Steel (21st June), Patriots (24th June), Amazon Warriors (26th June) and Tallawahs (28th June). With 30 of the 33 matches taking place under lights, 2015 will mark a return to the night-time matches that made the CPL such a breakout success in the first season.
The floodlit matches will help create the unrivalled atmosphere that has seen the CPL earn the name The Biggest Party in Sport, as the most passionate and knowledgeable fans in the world enjoy the action on and off the pitch.
Fans have been given an even greater reason to be at the games this year with the CPL’s recently announced “Catch a Million” competition, the biggest ever sports promotion in the Caribbean.
The first fan at every match who catches a six, one-handed, will earn US $1000 on the spot, as well as the chance to go to Trinidad for the final. If they catch another six, one-handed, in the final, they will be presented with US$1 million!
The teams:
Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel
Last year: Semi-finals
Coach: Simon Helmot
Captain: Dwayne Bravo
Key players: Jacques Kallis, Darren Bravo, Samuel Badree, Kevon Cooper, Kamran Akmal.
The Red Steel come into 2015 with a well-balanced side packed with experience. Legendary South African, Jacques Kallis, is a massive signing for the franchise, while Dwayne Bravo, leading wicket taker in this year’s IPL, will lead from the front again. Spin bowling is a strength, with Badree and Sulieman Benn joined by Johan Botha, while Darren Bravo, Akmal and Cameron Delport will hope to contribute runs. With the semi-finals and final held at Queen’s Park Oval, the Red Steel will fancy their chances of winning CPL 2015 on home soil.
Barbados Tridents
Last year: Champions
Coach: Robin Singh
Ambassador: Desmond Haynes
Captain: Kieron Pollard
Key players: Dwayne Smith, Shoaib Malik, Ravi Rampaul, Jason Holder, Jeevan Mendis.
The defending champions are sticking with their winning formula. The Tridents have retained the core of their successful team from last year, and the side boasts a wealth of experience at crucial positions, with Smith and Malik at the top of the order, Pollard and Holder providing big hits and crucial wickets, and Rampaul as the strike bowler. This team has a knack of performing well under pressure, and with four home games to start with at a packed Kensington Oval, the Tridents will hope to get on a roll from day one.
Guyana Amazon Warriors
Last year: Runners-up
Coach: Carl Hooper
Assistant: Sir Curtly Ambrose
Captain: Denesh Ramdin
Key players: Sunil Narine, Lendl Simmons, Brad Hodge, Shiv Chanderpaul, Devendra Bishoo.
Beaten finalists in the first two CPL tournaments, the Amazon Warriors will be desperate to go one better this year.
The side welcomes a new coach in West Indies legend, Carl Hooper, and the team is likely to be built around the eve-consistent Simmons at the top of the order, and wicket-taking spin bowling from Narine, Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul. The Warriors have been hit by international call-ups, with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Thisara Perera both leaving mid-tournament, but with Umar Akmal and David Wiese waiting in the wings, the side has lined up excellent replacements.
Jamaica Tallawahs
Last year: Semi-final
Coach: Junior Bennett
Assistants: Mark O’Donnell,
Courtney Walsh
Captain: Chris Gayle
Key players: Andre Russell, Mahela Jayawardena, Daniel Vettori, Jerome Taylor, Krishmar Santokie.
Winners of the inaugural CPL, the Tallawahs are favourites again this year after strengthening their side in the draft. Jayawardena and Chris Lynn provide experience in the middle order, and the addition of the CPL’s leading wicket taker, Santokie, could be a masterstroke. Vettori and Nikita Miller are a canny spin-bowling duo, but the real X-Factor comes in the shape of captain Gayle and IPL MVP, Russell, who are both capable of winning games single-handedly.
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots
Last year: N/A
Coach: Eric Simons
Captain: Marlon Samuels
Key players: Shahid Afridi, Martin Guptill, Sohail Tanvir, Sheldon Cottrell, Carlos Brathwaite.
The CPL new boys caused a stir at the draft, selecting “Boom Boom” Afridi with the first pick, and snapping up a host of top performers from other franchises, with Guptill, Tanvir and Evin Lewis all joining the Patriots having impressed in 2014.
The exciting Patriots squad, led by Samuels, will no doubt provide excitement for the St Kitts & Nevis fans, who will be out in force to support the team in its maiden campaign.
St Lucia Zouks
Last year: 5th
Coach: Stuart Williams
Ambassador: Sir Andy Roberts
Captain: Darren Sammy
Key players: Kevin Pietersen, Ross Taylor, Andre Fletcher, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel.
After two disappointing campaigns, the side has strengthened in all departments, and will hope to make the most of passionate home support in their first four matches. Scoring runs shouldn’t be a problem, with Pietersen and Taylor joined by Fletcher, Sammy, Henry Davids and Johnson Charles, while the bowling includes three West Indies quick bowlers and quality international spinners in the squad.
